Read-Out Acceleration; Custom Thermal Sensors; Pyroelectric Energy Sensors - THORLABS PM100USB Operation Manual

5.2.2 Read-out Acceleration

Certain thermal sensors can show a fairly slow response. Please refer to the individual data
sheet. When laser power hits the active area in these sensors, it takes up to 20 seconds until
the system has settled and the power reading shows the correct value.
A slow sensor can be accelerated to up to 1-3 seconds by predicting the final power value
based on the initial slope of the power reading.
This read-out acceleration can be set in the Devices - Settings panel of the utility software
OPM. As this function has a disadvantage in that it induces noise to the measurement value,
the acceleration circuit can be set to Auto or Off.

5.2.3 Custom Thermal Sensors

The following custom thermal sensors can also be used with the PM100USB:
· Thorlabs thermal sensors that are not part of the C-Series and do not have a DE-9 connector
· Thermal sensors from other providers
Required Adaptations
1) Adapter Connector
To connect a custom sensor to the PM100USB, an adapter needs to be used. To build the a-
dapter, please refer to the pin-out of the DE-9 connector shown in the
sensor and an interlock must be connected to the sensor input.
The PM100USB and the utility software
presence of an adapter and show "Sensor Type: Photodiode Adapter" in the GUI.
2) Calibration Data
Be aware that spectral response or other calibration data of your custom thermal sensor are not
automatically sent to the utility software. It is necessary to account for them in your analysis.
3) Measurement Data
In your experimental setup, it is critical to set the responsivity of the sensor at the measured
operating wavelength in the utility software OPM under Devices-Settings, field: "Responsivity".
Please refer to the specifications of your used custom sensor.
Note
If the adapter is not automatically recognized or the settings can not be adjusted in the soft-
ware, please contact

5.3 Pyroelectric Energy Sensors

The PM100USB is compatible with all Thorlabs
and ES2xxC series), equipped with a
few seconds after plugging it to the DE-9 connector.
Pyroelectric sensors allow to measure the pulse energy of single and repetitive pulses from co-
herent and incoherent sources. The incident pulse energy is converted to a voltage pulse. The
peak pulse voltage is proportional to the pulse energy and almost independent of the laser
wavelength. To choose the appropriate sensor, refer to the section
Sensor , visit the
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Thorlabs .
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DE-9 connector
Thorlabs website or contact
Optical Power Monitor
ESxxxC Pyroelectric Energy Sensors
. The sensor is ready to operate only
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5 Sensor Dependent Functions
Appendix
35
will automatically recognize the
Choosing the Right
. A thermal
(ES1xxC
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